


Travel

by sh_wright890



Series: JEM Week 2016 [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Car Ride, JEM Week, Jean thinks he isn't a poet, Multi, actually gets kinda meaningful, but we all know he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-22
Packaged: 2018-09-11 04:07:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8953117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sh_wright890/pseuds/sh_wright890
Summary: Traveling can help you see the same world from a slightly different perspective.





	

“We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Eren repeated for the billionth time. 

“No, I  _ want _ to,” Marco replied as he had each time Eren said something pertaining to this trip.

“Guys, just chill out,” I butted in like I’d done half the time. We were all getting a bit stressed and nervous, but nobody was as on edge as Marco. His family had invited him and his fiance over for the weekend. We all knew they weren’t very accepting of Marco’s “lifestyle”, but they were  _ trying _ .

The only problem: They don’t know there’s two of us. 

I reached across the middle console and took Marco’s hand. He squeezed it in a death grip and looked out his window. The freckles on his face stood out a lot more from how pale he looked. “I-I know they’ll like you both if they just give you a chance.” He glanced over at me. 

Eren reached up between the seats and rubbed Marco’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, babe.”

Marco let out a shaky breath.

“Maybe you should call them first and tell them that you’re bringing a friend too and to make extra room.”

He looked at me. “You aren’t a friend, Jean. You’re my fiance.”

“I know that. I was just saying that if it’s easier for you, then you can do that for now. I’m okay with it.” And I was. I knew what it was like to have your nerves totally frayed. It sucked, and if Marco needed more time telling his parents then I was going to let him have that time. 

He chewed his lip, popped his fingers, fidgeted in his seat, and messed with my fingers. It was obvious he was having a hard time with this, but I was in no rush. I could wait. 

Marco’s face was blocked from my peripheral vision when Eren leaned forward to kiss his cheek. “Or you could even say Jean is the man, and I’m the friend.”

I scoffed. “I think they’d rather hear that Marco’s with a nurse than an author.”

Shooting us both dirty looks, Marco leaned back in his seat again. “They’ve already seen pictures of us kissing, Eren. And besides, we shouldn’t even be having this discussion. We’re a team--a family--and I don’t want to hide either of you from them.” 

Eren and I both heard the unspoken,  _ Even though they’re scary as hell, _ part in his tone.

“Would it help if we kept our hands off each other for the weekend?” I asked. “Or if you told them we were all together right as we leave?”

I could hear Marco sigh, but he took my hand and kissed Eren’s cheek before Eren leaned back again. “We’ll just see how things go, okay?”

Squeezing his hand, I nodded. “Alright.”

* * *

The rest of the ride was fairly quiet--bar Eren’s _incessant_ _snoring_ , of course. Marco and I switched part way through the trip. I tried to stay awake, but we’d gotten up early to leave, and I’d been driving for several hours. Not to mention that the other two had already slept for the majority of that time. 

When I woke up, it was dark out. That wasn’t anything surprising since it was winter. Groggily, I stretched my arms above my head and rubbed my eyes. “Are we there yet?”

Marco laughed quietly and shook his head. “No, not yet.”

“Oh.” I slumped back down in my seat and yawned. “Are we almost there?”

He nodded. I took his hand. 

“Still worried?” I asked. He glanced over for a moment and gave me a plastic smile, causing me to frown. “Don’t. Not with me.” Bringing his hand up to my face, I kissed his knuckles one by one. “You can tell me. I won’t be offended.”

The sigh he let out was strained. “I don’t want them to be mean to you guys.” His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, no doubt looking at Eren--his mouth was hanging open, and his eye twitched every once in awhile--and smiled faintly. “I love you both so much, and it would kill me if you both only knew the bigoted part of them.” He glanced at me. “Dad taught me to ride a bike. Mom influenced me to be a teacher. My sister is supportive of me, but even I don’t know what she’ll say when she finds out I have two loves of my life.”

I nodded slowly and rubbed at his knuckles. He once told me they had a tendency to ache since he popped them all the time as a teenager. It was a nervous habit he hadn’t been able to break himself of. I guess there was a metaphor or two in there somewhere. One about how things that happen in the past can still hurt you in the future, and another about finding relief from that past in unexpected places--I certainly wasn’t expecting to even meet him--but I wasn’t a poet no matter how hard I tried. I stuck to my prose with simple and compound and complex and compound-complex sentences, oxford commas, and periods.

“If they can’t see that you’re more than who you decide to spend your life with, you might have to let them go. At least for a little while. I wouldn’t ever want you to go your whole life without ever speaking to them again, but you have to take care of yourself, y’know? If they hurt you whenever they talk to you on the phone because they can’t see that you’re still you then you might have to… take a break. It might take a few hours or a week or even a year, but I know they’ll realize what’s actually important.”

Fuck, I hoped that didn’t sound like I was trying to take him away from his family. That was the last thing I wanted. 

I allowed him as long as he needed. He chewed on his lip and tapped his thumbs on the steering wheel to the beat of the music. “I understand what you’re saying. It’s just gonna hurt if I have to do that.”

I laced our fingers and kissed the back of his hand. “If it does, Eren and I will be right here to support you. Promise.”

He bit his lip again and nodded. “Okay.”

As if on cue, Eren grumbled and lifted his head. “Are we there yet?”

Marco groaned good-naturedly and said, “Not again,” while I laughed and told him, “Not yet, sweet pea.”

**Author's Note:**

> Yep. Probably going to be behind again this year.


End file.
